Reel



March 15, 1949. E DOTSCH 2,464,676

REEL

Filed Jan. 29, 1947 JNVENToR. Fn'f 170mm? Patented Mar. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REEL Fritz Dotsch, White Plains, N. Y.

Application January 29, 1947, Serial No. '725,092

This invention relates to a device in the nature of a, holder or reel for material, such as steel tape or cable, when coiled, and which enables the material to be coiled or wound in the device and to be wholly or partly uncoiled or unwound from the device foruse.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device of the indicated character which obviates the use of a drum or the like and the operating means therefor, yet enabling steel tape and analogous material to be wound and unwound with only slight manual effort.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improvements in a device of the character mentioned, whereby to compensate for the increase or decrease in the diameter of the outer 4convolution of the wound or coiled material as it is either being wound or unwound, and to insure the starting of the material upon its circular course as the winding operation is begun.

The invention also resides in the simplicity of a device of the indicated character, the economy with which it may be produced, and the general benefits derived therefrom.

The nature of the invention and its distinguishing features and advantages will appear when the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig, 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention, showing a coiled headed steel tape or snake by way of example, a portion of the tape being shown unwoundY in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figi.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional' view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a device embodying modications according to the present invention, a portion being broken away to show certain features.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be apparent that the device includes a frame I composed of pieces or lengths of metal or other suitable material. In the present instance two pieces of metal are used and each is bent into U-shape providing side members I I joined by an end portion I2, said pieces being further bent to provide overlapping terminals secured by a suitable fastener I3 to provide the opposite end portion I4. The pieces thus bent and secured are Claims. (Cl. 242-105) arranged to intersect each other and a screw bolt I5 extends through the pieces. Nuts I6 on the bolt I5 together with the end portions I2 and I4 maintain the side members II spaced in parallel side by side relation. Thus, the frame I0 comprises pairs of side members II which extend radially with respect to an axis provided by the bolt I5.

Rollers are arranged between the side mem# bers II, there being one roller I'I between the members II of each of two pairs with the arbor I8 of the roller supported by the respective members II, and there being one roller I9 whose arbor 20 is supported by a slide 2i at one end of the slide. There is one slide 2l engaged with the members II of each of two pairs for radial inward and outward movement. Each slide 2i is of generally U-shape and channel formation.

A helicalspring 22 has one end connected with each slide 2|, as at 23, and its opposite yend connected with the bolt I5, as at Z. The springs 22 constitute resilient means which constantly exert a pull on the slides 2| causing the rollers I9 to move radially inward and allowing them to move radially outward with respect to the rollers I 1 to cooperate with the latter and the members II in the material winding and unwinding operations. The springs 22 have a tension determined by the flexibility or resilience and the thickness or the cross sectional size of the 1 material to be wound and unwound.

The radial inward movement of each roller I9 is limited by suitable means, such as Vthe crimps 25, in the respective members II, which'. crimps 25 serve as stops engaged by the slide 2I.-

As shown most clearly in Fig. 1, a rigid bar'ZG has its opposite ends secured in any suitable manner to the end portions I4 of two pairs of the This bar 25 serves as a'` frame members II. brace to maintain the radial relation of the members Il, serves as a handle, and also serves'.

as a means for guiding the material in its circular course as the winding operation is begun since the tail end of the material is kept from springing outwardly beyond certain limits.

In order that the device may rest on a suitable support while winding the material, suitable feet 21 arevdetachably connected with two end portions I2 and i4 respectively, as shown.

By way of example, a headed steel tape or snake 28 is shown wound or coiled in the de vice. To wind or coil the tape the tail end is grasped with one hand while the device is held with the other hand. The tape is pushed into contact .with the periphery or the upper roller Il adjacent the bar 26. The end of the tape is then guided into contact with the periphery of `the lower roller Il, then into contact with the peripherles of the other lower and upper rollers I9 in the order named. This forms the rst or innermost convolution. Then by further imparting a rotatory movement to the tape, it will be coiled or wound one convolution on another until the tape or snake is fully coiled as shown in Fig. 1, The members Il limit or prevent lateral movement of the convolutions.

The snake may be fully uncoiled from the device for use in cleaning out sewer pipes or the like. Also, the snake may be partly uncoiled, and the device used by grasping the bar 26 and the coiled portion of the snake to rotate the uncoiled portion in carrying out a pipe or other cleaning or obstruction removing operation.

As shown in Fig. 6, the frame I may be cast in one piece to obviate the use of the bar 26. Also, auxiliary means in the form of longitudinally bowed members 29 may be used to cooperate with the rollers in the material winding and unwinding operations. One member 29 is secured to frame I0 adjacent one of theI rollers Il and another member 29 is secured to one of the slides 2i so as to be radially movable with the roller i9 carried by the slide. Each member 29 makes a two point contact with the outermost convolution of the wound material and limits or prevents outward exure., This is desirable when thin tane is te be wound and unwound, and a large amount is wound forming a large coil. In other respects the device shown in Fig. 6 is like that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and similar reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts.v

It is to be understood the invention is not restricted to the details above described, but includes all constructions and modications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described com prising a frame, an arrangement of rollers, certain of said rollers having arbors supported by the frame and the remaining rollers having arbors on spring actuated slides respectively radially movable with respect to the frame so that the rollers on the slides are in cooperative diametrically opposed relation to said frame rollers, the provision and arrangement being such that a length of strip material may be coiled within the frame and uncoiled therefrom supported by the rollers with the outermost convolution of the coiled material contacting the rollers while the frame limits lateral movement of the convolutions.

2'. A device as set forth in claim l, and means en the frame for guiding the leading end of the material from one rollerto another in starting the winding operation.

3. A device of the character described comprising radial pairs of frame members rigidly connected together, the frame members of each pair being spaced in side by side relation, rollers, there being one roller arranged between the frame members of each pair, certain rollers having arbors supported by their related frame members, the remaining rollers having arbors supported by slides movable along their related frame members, and yieldable means connected with the slides and the related frame members to constantly urge the rollers carried by the slides radially inward toward the rollers supported by the frame members, the provision and arrangement being such that a length of strip material may be coiled in the device and uncoile'd therefrom supported by the rollers with the outermost convolution of the coiled material contacting the rollers while the frame members limit or prevent lateral movement of the convolutions.

4. A device comprising a frame, rollers carried by the frame and disposed radially outward with respect to the transverse axis of the frame, slides engaged with the frame and movable radially with respect to said axis, rollers carried by said slides respectively, and resilient means connected with the frame and slides constantly acting to pull the rollers of the slides radially inward with Arespect to the rollers of the frame, for the purpose oi winding and unwinding iiexible material and for holding the material when wound, and auxiliary means carried by the frame and one of the slides adapted to restrain the outward eXure of the Outelmost convolution of the wound material.

5. A device comprising a frame, rollers carried by the frame and disposed radially outward with respect to the transverse axis of the frame, slides i engaged with the frame and moving radially with respect to said axis, rollers carried by said slides respectively, and resilient means connected with the frame and slides constantly acting to pull the rollers of the slides radially inward with respect to the rollers of the frame, for the purpose of winding and unwinding exible material and for holding the material when wound, and auxiliary members carried by the frame and one of the slides adapted to make a two point contact with the outer convolution of the wound material to restrain the outer iiexure thereof.

FRITZ DOISCH. v

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ci this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,425,076 Cate Aug. 8, 1922 1,561,485 Powers Nov. 17, 1925 1,761,592 Seidel June 3, 1930 1,816,385 Matthaei July 23, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 124,215 Austria Apr. 15, 1931 

